A web application is a computer software application that generally includes a server component, where the server component is hosted on a computer system, such as a web server, where the component is accessed over a network, such as the Internet or an intranet, and where the server component includes a resource, such as a file, document, or web page. In general, a web application also includes a user interface component that is displayed or rendered within a graphical user interface of a web browser that is hosted on a remote computer system, such as a web client. This user interface component of the web application can be hosted in a web browser-controlled environment, such as a Java® applet, or coded in a web browser-supported language, such as JavaScript, and/or a web browser-rendered markup language, such as Hypertext Markup Language (“HTML”).
In general, the server component of the web application that is hosted on a web server can send data to the user interface component of the web application that is hosted on the web client. The web browser of the web client can then display or render the user interface component and the data sent to the user interface component within the graphical user interface of the web browser so that the data is visible to a user of the web browser.